Heretofore, other than the usual bracket and archwire systems, there have been many appliances developed for use in orthodontically treating patients and particularly for closing spaces between teeth. These appliances have generally been of the removable type and therefore demand patient cooperation in order to obtain the desired result. Some are such that they move gingivally where they can injure the gum tissues.
For example, the well known tooth-positioning appliance disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,531,222, which constitutes a custom-made appliance made of resilient material and having sockets for teeth arranged in their ideal position and fitting between the upper and lower arches, will operate to close spaces between teeth and correct malocclusions but require the devoted commitment of a patient for its use. This tooth-positioning appliance is removable and usually provided to the patient with instructions to use it for one or more periods of time every day. Thus, its value is wholly dependent on patient cooperation, as it cannot produce results unless it is used. It is also geared for treating all of the teeth on both arches. Moreover, extensive preparation is required in order to make and place the appliance since it must be made pursuant to the taking of impressions and thereafter the expenditure of considerable laboratory time. This requires careful preplanning and results in a delay of several days before the appliance is provided to the patient. It is also a relatively expensive appliance. So, in addition to the time period needed for making the appliance and its cost, it also requires committed cooperation by the patient.
There have been a number of other appliances made which also can function to close spaces, but most have involved the need for laboratory work and for use on more than two adjacent teeth. The same disadvantages above noted are present. Further, most of these appliances have been designed to be removable, which requires patient cooperation.
Some orthodontists have relied on the use of elastics which must be placed by the patient. While elastics can serve to close a space, a big disadvantage is that they can move into the gum tissues and cause damage to the tissues. This same problem could be encountered if one were to use elastic thread. Additionally, they can be easily dislodged and lost, thereby completely defeating their intended use.
It is well known that during orthodontic treatment in many cases a need arises for closing the spaces between two adjacent teeth. Sometimes this is caused by a mere relapse where the teeth have separated subsequent to the use of the normal fixed bracket appliance and systems. Most commonly the problem arises between the upper two front teeth where a diastema opening is created. Thus, the problem of diastema closing is one that often arises during the treatment of a patient after the usual fixed wire and bracket appliances have been removed.
It has also been known to provide a diastema closing device in the form of attachments bonded to the lingual surfaces of the centrals and serving to anchor the ends of a spring member which provides a force for closing the diastema. Considerable time is necessary in order to bond the attachments to the teeth and to adjust the spring member to provide the desired closing force.
Treatment of a patient where teeth are maloccluded has customarily been handled by using fixed appliances on each arch and applying forces along the arches as well as between the arches with elastics to obtain proper occlusion. Removable appliances which depend on vital patient cooperation have also been used. In some cases difficulty has been experienced in certain areas along the arches to establish proper occlusion which has resulted in the necessity of extended treatment time to obtain the proper occlusion. This delays final treatment and discharge of a patient and even sometimes results in the inability to ever solve the problem.
Further, there have been times following removal of appliances that teeth relapse into former positions in a certain segment along the occlusal plane and which require only attention to that segment in order to correct the problem. This usually requires application of a number of appliances and/or elastics in order to solve the problem.
Heretofore, it has also been known to use elastics or elastic thread to correct spot malocclusion problems, it being understood that spot malocclusion refers to a minor malocclusion site such as existing between one tooth on one of the arches and a pair of opposed teeth on the other arch that are to occlude with the one tooth. Reliability is not high because elastics and elastic thread can be easily dislodged, thereby defeating their intended purpose.